I am a gleek.

Every Thursday night my friend and I drive my husband out of his favourite chair with the threat of choir group drama and ear splitting attempts to sing along to our favourite TV show, Glee.

The love and devotion we have for this show puts it firmly in the category of guilty pleasure. We know it’s a show that is supposed to appeal to teeny-boppers and young ones. Yet we just can’t help ourselves.

I have all of the DVDs and I have watched every episode too many times to count. I have downloaded most of Glee’s top songs off of ITunes and sung them unabashedly, at the top of my lungs literally hundreds of times. In my car, the stares I draw from drivers beside me is not enough of an embarrassment to quell my enthusiasm for the music. I’m a gleek, no apologies.

When things are troubling me or my lovely Bipolar moods have hijacked me for one of their tailspin tornadoes, I can usually make the spinning stop with a hit of Glee.

At times it is nothing short of a lifesaver.

Although it doesn’t look that way, this isn’t an attempt to enlist you as a Gleek. I am talking about so much more than a hit TV show.

My husband shakes his head at this obsession (and the Friends one that preceded it) but I think over time he has come to understand it for what it is. For those of us who struggle to quiet our inner ramblings (especially during times of depression), having a lighthearted solution that lifts us in an instant can be crucial. Sadly sometimes those of us who don’t, turn to drugs, or alcohol, or overeating. They are all the same thing at their heart. They distract us momentarily. They bring pleasure momentarily. They silence the chatter momentarily.

I encourage you, regardless of whether or not you live with mental illness, to commit to your guilty pleasures (just the healthy, helpful ones – please). If they bring you joy, why not right?

As I sign off here, I want to share this lyric from one of my favourite Glee songs, Roots Before Branches. Which yes, was one of the inspirations for the name of this blog. (Sigh – I know, it’s pathetic.) But I have always loved the lyrics of this song, and this part in particular. Enjoy!